COMPUTER FUNDAMENTS

MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION

There are different things we use today to make our work easy. Humans always
look for ways to change our way of life in terms of making our work easy. The
advancement in technology today are changing our lives. One of the most important
things invented in our day today in terms of communication are cell phones. And it is
continuously developing to make our communication with our love ones who are far from
us.

What is Data? The simplest definitions for the term data is raw materials. Raw
meaning that it has not undergone a process. The things the we see around us
are examples of data.

Data Processing System - Refers to the equipment or devices, people and

procedures by which a result is achieved.

Information - These are processed data. Data that has been gathered or put
together to create a real value (processed data).

CATEGORIES OF DATA PROCESSING

1. Mechanical Data Processing – uses a combination of manual procedures and

mechanical equipment. (eg. Typewriters, calculators)

2. Electronic Data Processing – uses different types of input, output and storage
devices and is interconnected to an Electronic computer to process data.
DATA PROCESSING CYCLE

Data Processing Cycle is a series of steps that is followed to generate information

from data.

1. Input – what is given. Whatever data we put in the computer for processing.
2. Process – input data are changed. The action done to the data.
3. Output – the result of the processed data.

Expanded Data Processing Cycle

4. Origination – refers to the process of collecting the original data. Source

documents are original recording of data.
5. Distribution – refers to the distribution of output data. Report documents is
recording of the output data
6. Storage – storing of result. File is a unified set of data in storage. These are
collection of records.
AREAS OF DATA PROCESSING

Data processing can be classified into 2:

1. Business in nature – processing data that needs to establish, retain and process
files of data for producing useful information.

2. Scientific in nature – data processing includes a limited volume of input and many
logical or arithmetic calculations.

DATA PROCESSING OPERATIONS

1. Recording – refers to the transfer of data into some form of document.

2. Verifying – data that are carefully checked for errors.
3. Duplicating – reproducing the data into many forms of documents.
4. Classifying – separates data into various categories. Identifying and arranging
items with like characteristics into groups or classes. Classifying is done using a
method called Code. There are 3 types of code:

a. Numeric
b. Alphabetic
c. Alphanumeric

5. Sorting – arranging data in a specific order.

6. Calculating – automatic operations/manipulation of the data.
7. Summarizing and Reporting – a collection of data is considered and certain
conclusions from the data are represented in a meaningful format.
8. Merging – sets of data that are put together to form a single set of data.
9. Storing – placing similar files for future reference.
10. Retrieving – recovering stored data or information when needed.
11. Feedback – comparison of the output(s) and the goal set in advance.

METHODS OF PROCESSING DATA

This are used to cope up in terms of timeliness, effectiveness, and availability of

information

1. Batch Processing – the simplest form of data processing. Is a technique in which

data to be processed or programs to be collected into groups to permit convenient,
efficient, and serial processing.

2. Online Processing – refers to the equipment or devices under the direct control
of the central processing unit of a computer. (inquiries)
 3. Real-Time Processing - is a method of data processing in which has the
capability of a fast response to obtain data from an activity or a physical process,
perform computations, and return a response rapidly enough to affect the outcome
of the activity or process. (airlines)

4. Distributed Processing – most complex level of computer processing.

Computers are connected in large computers to. (electric power plants)

REFERENCES

✓ https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/44953/information-processing-cycle
✓ http://computer-concepts-tutorial.blogspot.com/2008/01/areas-of-data-
processing.html
✓ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/computer
✓ https://planningtank.com/computer-applications/data-processing-data-
processing-methods
✓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xoOLerFOwg
✓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuyAza5teu8
 MODULE 2
Computer Hardware

INTRODUCTION
Peripheral devices are devices that is connected to a computer system to add
functionality. There are different examples of peripheral devices like mouse, monitor,
keyboard printer and scanner. Peripheral devices can be internal or external. A computer
peripheral on the other hand, is a device that is connected to a computer but is not part
of the core computer architecture. The core elements of a computer are the central
processing unit (CPU), power supply, motherboard and the computer case that contains
those three components. It can also be said that everything else is considered a
peripheral device. However, this is somewhat a narrow view, since various other elements
are required for a computer to function, such as a hard drive and random-access memory
(or RAM).

TYPES OF COMPUTING DEVICES

3 types of devices that a man has invented to aid in calculating and processing
data:
1. Manual-Mechanical – powered by hand
2. Electromechanical – powered by electric motor
3. Electronic – uses circuit boards, transistors or silicon chips

Before we discuss the current computing devices, let us look back first at the
predecessors of today’s computers. Here are some notable computing devices invented
in the early days that led to the development of the computing devices that we are using
today:
1. Abacus – developed in China in 12th Century A.D. This machine is simple
and effective. The standard abacus can be used to perform addition,
subtraction, division and multiplication; the abacus can also be used to extract
square-roots and cubic roots. The beads are manipulated with either the
index finger or the thumb of one hand.
2. Napier’s Bone – invented by John Napier
a Scottish Mathematician. He also invented
the Logarithms (trigonometry). Napier’s
Bone represented a significant contribution
to the development of computing device.
His machine is capable of changing
multiplication calculations to a simple
addition method.

3. Oughtred’s Slide Rule – Invented by William Oughtred and English

Mathematician. His invention made multiplication and division easy.

4. Pascal’s Calculator (The Pascaline) – Invented by Blaise Pascal a French

Mathematician and experimental Physicist. In 1645, he developed a
calculating machine able to add and subtract numbers that contains up to 8
digits.
5. Leibniz’s Calculator (Leibniz
Stepped Drum) – A German
polymath, mathematician and
philosopher, named Gottfried
Wilhelm Von Leibniz invented
this in the 17th Century. He is
also the co-inventor of Differential
Calculus. He completed his
calculator in 1694, a machine that
can add, subtract, divide, multiply
and extract square roots.

6. Analytical Engine – an English Man named Charles Babbage was the inventor
of this machine. He is commonly referred to as the father of Modern
computational devices because of his ideas. In 1882 he started to work on a
machine called the Difference Engine. This machine can calculate roots of
polynomials but eventually he didn’t finished this machine. He then started
creating the Analytical Engine which uses Operation Cards that contains
functions to be performed by the machine and a Variable Cards to specify
actual data. Lady Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace worked with Babbage.
She wrote demonstration programs for the Analytical Engine. She has been
known as the First Lady Programmer
 7. Hollerith’s Punch Car Machine – In
1880 a statistician in the US Bureau of
the Census named Herman Hollerith
invented this machine that would help
calculate their tabulating problems. He
uses electricity to build an
electromagnetic counting machine that
sorts data manually and tabulate the
data. Hollerith later resign and built his
own company that sells tabulating
machines. Later then, his company
became a forerunner of IBM
Corporation.

Because of these early computing devices we have the computers that we are using
Today. There are basically 3 categories of computing devices that we use today, the
input device, output device and storage device. To better understand these devices, let
us discuss them one-by-one.
1. Input device – this are parts of the computer system that allows the user input or
enter data into the computer system. It also allows the user to enter instructions
or commands that the computer can execute. The following are examples of
input devices:

a. Keyboard g. Remote Control

b. Mouse h. Touch Screen
c. Microphone i. Bar Code Reader
d. Touch Pad j. Joy Stick
e. Chip and Pin Reader k. Scanner
f. Magnetic Stripe Reader

2. Output device – this are devices that produces results based on what is asked out
of it. These output devices can produce 2 types of output (1) hard copy; and (2)
softcopy. Below are examples of output devices:

a. Speaker
b. Printer
c. Projector
d. Monitor
 3. Storage device – these devices are used to store data or information. The stored
data can be read, edited, re-written and deleted. Examples of this kind are:

a. Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

b. External Hard Drive
c. Flash Disk
d. CD’s or DVD’s
e. Cloud

INTERNAL COMPUTER COMPONENTS

This are parts of the computer system located inside the Central Processing Unit
(CPU) box. This is an integral part of the computer system. Aside from it enables the
computer system to process multiple data, it also allows connectivity of all the parts and
to work together as one system.
The internal components of the computer are as follows
1. Motherboard - it is the computer's main
circuit board. It's a thin plate that holds the
CPU, memory, connectors for the hard
drive and optical drives, expansion cards to
control the video and audio, and
connections to your computer's ports (such
as USB ports). The motherboard connects
directly or indirectly to every part of the
computer.

2. Central Processing Unit (CPU) - also called a processor, is located inside

the computer case on the motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the
computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever you press a key, click
the mouse, or start an application, you're sending instructions to the CPU.

The CPU is usually a two-inch ceramic square with

a silicon chip located inside. The chip is usually about the
size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the
motherboard's CPU socket, which is covered by the heat
sink, an object that absorbs heat from the CPU.

A processor's speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or millions of instructions

per second; and gigahertz (GHz), or billions of instructions per second. A faster
processor can execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual speed of the
 computer depends on the speed of many different components—not just the
processor.

3. Random Access Memory (RAM) - is your system's short-term memory.

Whenever your computer performs calculations, it temporarily stores the data in
the RAM until it is needed.

This short-term memory disappears when

the computer is turned off. If you're working
on a document, spreadsheet, or other type
of file, you'll need to save it to avoid losing
it. When you save a file, the data is written
to the hard drive, which acts as long-term
storage.

RAM is measured in megabytes (MB) or

giga bytes (GB). The more RAM you have,
the more things your computer can do at the
same time. If you don't have enough RAM, you may notice that your computer is
sluggish when you have several programs open. Because of this, many people
add extra RAM to their computers to improve performance.

A short preview of different RAMs that run on today’s computer are:

a. Static RAM (SRAM)

Time in Market: 1990s to present
Popular Products Using SRAM: Digital cameras, routers, printers, LCD
screens

b. Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

Time in Market: 1970s to mid-1990s
Popular Products Using DRAM: Video game consoles, networking hardware

c. Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM)

Time in Market: 1993 to present
Popular Products Using SDRAM: Computer memory, video game consoles

d. Single Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDR SDRAM)

Time in Market: 1993 to present
Popular Products Using SDR SDRAM: Computer memory, video game
consoles

e. Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM)

Time in Market: 2000 to present
Popular Products Using DDR SDRAM: Computer memory
 f. Graphics Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic RAM (GDDR SDRAM)
Time in Market: 2003 to present
Popular Products Using GDDR SDRAM: Video graphics cards, some tablets
g. Flash Memory
Time in Market: 1984 to present
Popular Products Using Flash Memory: Digital cameras, smartphones/tablets,
handheld gaming systems/toys

4. Hard Drive - is where your software,

documents, and other files are stored. The
hard drive is long-term storage, which means
the data is still saved even if you turn the
computer off or unplug it.

When you run a program or open a file, the

computer copies some of the data from
the hard drive onto the RAM. When
you save a file, the data is copied back to
the hard drive. The faster the hard drive, the
faster your computer can start up and load
programs.

5. Power Supply Unit - converts the

power from the wall outlet to the type
of power needed by the computer. It
sends power through cables to the
motherboard and other components.
 Expansion Cards or sometimes called PCI (peripheral component interconnect) cards
can be added to a computer system to make your computer work better. You can
consider this as upgrades for your computer system because most of these cards are
built-in already on your motherboard. Below are examples of expansion cards:

1. Video Card - is responsible for what you

see on the monitor. Most computers have
a GPU (graphics processing unit) built into
the motherboard instead of having a
separate video card. If you like playing
graphics-intensive games, you can add a
faster video card to one of the expansion
slots to get better performance.

2. Sound Card — also called an audio

card—is responsible for what you hear in
the speakers or headphones. Most
motherboards have integrated sound, but
you can upgrade to a dedicated sound
card for higher-quality sound.

3. Network Card - allows your computer to

communicate over a network and access
the Internet. It can either connect with
an Ethernet cable or through a wireless
connection (often called Wi-Fi). Many
motherboards have built-in network
connections, and a network card can also
be added to an expansion slot.

4. Bluetooth - is a technology for wireless

communication over short distances. It's
often used in computers to communicate with
wireless keyboards, mice, and printers. It's
commonly built into the motherboard or
included in a wireless network card. For
computers that don't have Bluetooth, you can
purchase a USB adapter, often called
a dongle.
COMPUTER CONNECTOR TYPES
Computer connectors allows communication between peripherals. Without the
connectors data transmission over the computer system will not be possible. As an
example, a computer cannot display information on the monitor coming from the CPU or
central processing unit without the connectors. The following are the different connectors
used by the computer system:
1. USB Cables and Connectors - USB cables are used to connect most new
devices to your computer including flash memory sticks, portable media
players, internet modems and digital cameras.

Computer accessories like mice, keyboards, webcams, portable hard-drives,

microphones, printers, scanners and speakers can also be connected to the
computer through USB ports.

The other end of a USB cable may have different types as shown in the
example below:

2. Audio Cables and Connectors

a. 3.5mm Headphone Jack - The most common audio cable is the standard
headphone jack, otherwise known as a TSR connector. It is available in
several sizes, but the most common ones used with computers are the 3.5
mm or 1/8″ mini audio jack.
 b. Digital Optical Audio - For high-end audio, like when you want to connect
the output of a DVD player or a set-top box to a Dolby home theater, you
need the TOSLINK (or S/PDIF) connector.

3. Video Cables

a. VGA – one of the most common video connectors for computer monitors
and high-definition TVs is the VGA cable. A standard VGA connector
has 15-pins and other than connecting a computer to a monitor, you may
also use a VGA cable to connect your laptop to a TV screen or a
projector.
 b. DVI Monitor Port - a DVI cable has 29 pins, though some connectors
may have less pins depending on their configuration. DVI’s video signal
is compatible with HDMI, so a simple converter can allow a DVI monitor
to receive input from an HDMI cable. New breed of “thin” laptops use the
smaller variants of DVI like the Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI (first seen in
MacBook Air).

c. S-Video - known as Separate Video or Super Video cables, carry analog

video signals and are commonly used for connecting DVD players,
camcorders, older video consoles to the television. Standard S-Video
connectors are round in shape and may have anywhere between 4-9
pins.

4. Audio and Video Cables

a. RCA Connector Cables - are a bundle of 2-3 cables including
Composite Video (colored yellow) and Stereo Audio cables (red for right
channel and white or black for the left audio channel).
b. HDMI Cables - HDMI is the new standard that provide both audio and
video transmission through a single cable. HDMI support a maximum
resolution of 4096×2160p (HD is only 1920×1200) with up to 8
channels of digital audio and are used for connecting Blu-Ray players to
an HDTV.

c. Display Port - A combined digital video and audio cable that is more
commonly used in computers is DisplayPort and the smaller
derivative Mini DisplayPort. Both support resolutions up to 2560 ×
1600 × 60 Hz, and additionally support up to 8 channels of digital
audio.
The figures 1, 2 and 3 below are ports used to connect the cables discussed above.

Figure 1. AC Power, Mic/Line Input, Speaker/Headphone Output, USB, Ethernet, VGA, Serial RS-232, eSATA, Parallel DB25, Displayport.

Figure 2. DVI, Firewire, USB

Figure 3. PS/2, USB, Serial, Parallel

REFERENCES
✓ https://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/inside-a-computer/1/
✓ https://www.lifewire.com/types-of-ram-4150713
✓ https://www.labnol.org/gadgets/visual-guide-to-computer-cables-
connectors/10694/
✓ https://www.ramelectronics.net/connecters.aspx
✓